Magnetic separator with magnetic rubber element



July 3, 1962 R. F. MERWIN 3,042,205 MAGNETIC SEPARATOR WITH MAGNETIC RUBBER ELEMENT .an- 6' 819 8/0 H6.

Filed May 19, 1958 IN V EN TOR.

ROBERT/F HERW/N I BY United States This invention relates to magnetic separators and, more particularly, to magnetic separators utilizing magnets made of magnetic material impregnated in non-magnetic and, sometimes, resilient matrix material.

In virtually all previously known designs and applications for permanent magnetic separators, ferrous cntamination is attracted or held to alloy steel magnetic castings such as Alnico or to grids or other induced magnetizable steel members.

The advent of a new family of magnetic material in which fine particles of iron, cobalt, nickel, or combinations thereof, or fine particles of barium ferrites are dispersed in materials serving as a matrix such as lead, rubber, plastic, adhesive, epoxy, ceramics, etc., creating strong permanent flux patterns, offers many ingenious, simple, and economical means of entrapping ferrous materials and particles in flows of liquids, gases, slips, powders, etc.

The present invention involves the incorporation of magnetic particles into many types of filtering media such as porous metal, Teflon, and other types of plastic. It also involves the impregnation pf fibrous material supported in a plastic matrix, all to create an effective means of entrapping mechanically and magnetically both magnetic and non-magnetic materials. The porous materials will be magnetized either laterally or vertically with one or more air gaps. This invention could also take the form of a porous sheet, cartridge, or series or combination thereof with incorporation either before, between, or after conventional filters or cleaners in air, gas, or liquid lines.

In magnetic separators of the conventional design, magnetic strength is usually generated by means of magnetic alloy steel castings or virtually one hundred percent metallic material magnetized in a circuit which includes additional induced or directly connected magnetizable steel pieces to help extend flux lines into an effective pattern and to protect the permanent magnetic material from being subjected to abrasion of materials in flow lines, breakage, vibration, impact, and other possible damaging or die-magnetizing influences.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a magnetic separating device which constitutes an improvement over magnetic separators previously .silient deformable non-magnetic material.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved magnetic separating device wherein the magnetizable material may be formed to conform to the contour of the surface to which it is to be attached.

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Still a further object of this invention is to provide a porous filter material constituting a matrix supporting magnetic particles.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved magnetic separating device wherein the permanent magnetic member may be regular or irregular shaped cemented or otherwise mechanically fastened to a surface on a container and which magnetic separating member may be magnetized laterally in a single or multiple or with simple air gaps and in which material to be separated flows directly over the magnetic material itself.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists of the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the for-m, size, proportions, and minor details of construction without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a magnetic separating device showing magnetic material formed in the shape to conform to the periphery of a pulley and belt thereon;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of another embodiment of the invention showing the magnetic material supported on the outlet from a grinder or the like;

FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 show similar views of other embodiments of the invention;

FIGS. 6 and 8 show another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 shows still another embodiment of the invention; 7

FIG. 9 is a view of a filter having filtering elements made of non-magnetizable material impregnated 'with magnetic material;

FIGS. 10 and 11 show another embodiment of the invention;

'FIG. 12 is a top view of one row of rubber strips shown in FIG. 13; and

FIG. 13 is a View of a hopper having a row of strips of magnetic rubber on each edge thereof.

Now with more specific reference to the drawing, in FIG. 1, a pulley 11 is shown for removing magnetic tramp iron and the like from material flowing on top of a belt 11). The belt 10 passes around the pulley 1'1 and non-magnetic articles fall onto a belt 12 while magnetic articles are carried to the portion of a belt 13 and de posited thereunder in a suitable repository 30. The belt 12 passes around a pulley 14 and may be a conventional conveyor.

The pulley 11 has attached to the periphery thereof rubber like material 15 which is impregnated with magnetizable material which may be relatively small pieces .of hard steel or Alnico particles and may be finely divided and dispersed throughout the rubber material 15 so that the rubber itself becomes a magnet. The rubber may be magnetized laterally so that one end of the pulley 11 is the north pole of the magnet and the other end of the pulley 11 is the south pole of the magnet with a sheet of material magnetized as shown in FIG. 6. The pulley 11 is supported and rotatable on an axle 17 in suitable bearings and in a conventional manner. The pulley could also be magnetized as shown in FIG. 1 with spaced sections of the magnetized rubber as separate magnets having north poles of each magnet formed adjacent south poles of adjacent magnets at spaced positions on the periphery of the pulley.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2, a grinding machine or the like is shown schematically having a hopper 111 of a conventional type with grinder rolls 114 therein. The grinder rolls 114 are supported on axles 117 and material passing through between the grinder rolls'11 l passes down a chute 113 over a portion 114 thereof having a permanent magnet made of a non-magnetic matrix material impregnated with magnetic particles indicated at 115 thereunder and attached to the side of ace-2,205

the chute 113. A magnet 116 is attached to an upper inner side 118 of the chute 113 by bonding or suitable fastening means and the material flowing through the chute 1-13 passes around an apex 12b of the magnet 116. The magnet 116 is shown in a triangular shape in cross section but it could be made in any other irregular shape suitable for the application.

The member 115 is made with a gap 121 between legs 122 and 123 thereof so that one end of the two legs 122 and 123 is the north and the other end at the opposite side of the chute 113 is the south pole of the magnet.

A magnet 216 shown in FIG. 3 has spaced legs 222, 223, and 224 which define gaps 225 and 226. The magnet 216 is magnetized with the leg 222 being north at one side and south at the other side and the leg 224, being north at one side of the chute and south at the other side.

The embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 4 shows a magnet 322 attached to a plate 313 which might be the underside of a chute, conveyor, or the like. The magnet 322 is made of rubber or similar plastic matrix material impregnated with magnetizable particles so that the magnet formed by the magnetizable particles is actually north at one end and south at the other end.

The embodiment of the invention disclosed in FIG. 5 shows a magnet 422 magnetized laterally north and south as indicated and attached to a metal plate 413 which might be the top of a chute or the like with the magnet 422 attached to the underside of the top thereof. The magnet 4 22 is magnetized with the legs being north and south as indicated in the direction of flow of material in the chute.

In FIGS. 6 and 8, a magnet 522 is shown magnetized laterally and having a north pole at one side and a south pole at the other side thereof. The magnet 522 can be attached to a plate 513 at 516 by bonding or other well known fastening means or it could be wrapped around a pulley.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 7, a magnet 613 is attached to the outside curved surface portion 622 of a chute 623 and is made to conform to the curved portion thereof so that material passing around the corner of the chute 623 is attracted to a low pressure area 630 on the downstream side of the curve in the chute 623 where it may be collected and held against disiodgment by other material flowing therein.

in the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 9, the filter is shown by way of example only as a generally cylindrical body 71% closed at both ends and having an inlet pipe 715 attached to one end an an outlet pipe 717 attached to the other end whereby fluid containing magnetic and non-magnetic particles in suspension may be introduced at the pipe 716 and fluid may be taken off at the pipe 7l17 with the suspended particles removed by magnetic and mechanical filtering action of a filter member 71?. The filter member 719 is made up of a sponge rubber like material forming a matrix to support magnetizable particles, thus forming a permanent magnet. The sponge rubber material must be of a fibrous nature to pass fluid.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 10 and ll, an elongated strip of resilient non-magnetic material is shown having portions 816, 817, 818, 819, and 810. The lateral lines in FIG. 10 indicate the general position of the change of polarity of the several sections of the strip. This strip could be used as a cover for a pulley such as the member in FIG. 1, it could be used on a curved surface as in the chute to substitute for the member 613 in FIG. 7, or it could be used to replace the members 115 and 116 of FIG. 2 in the hopper of FIG. 1.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. l2 and 13 wherein a plurality of rows of strips of resilient material 922 having magnetized particles therein is attached to an iron plate 913. The flux fields due to the polarity of the strips 922 are through the plate 913 4t and from strip to strip in U-shaped magnet fashion. In the row of strips 922 on the right hand side of FIG. 13, the fields are around the ends of the magnets, then through the plates.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms but the structure shown is capable of modification within a range of equivalents Without departing from the invention which is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with the ap pended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in Which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A magnetic separator comprising a conveyor pulley, and a conveyor belt on said pulley, said pulley having a permanent magnet attached to and extending around outside the outer periphery thereof, said magnet being in the shape of a generally continuous hollow cylinder of uniform thickness, said cylinder being disposed around the outer periphery of said pulley and having one magnetic pole at one end thereof and the other magnetic pole at the other end thereof, said permanent magnet being made of relatively fine pieces of magnetizable material support in a non-magnetic matrix, said pieces being generally uniformly distributed through said non-magnetic matrix.

2. The magnetic separator recited in claim 1 wherein said non-magnetic material of said matrix is rubber.

3. The magnetic separator recited in claim 1 wherein said non-magnetic material of said matrix is flexible mate rial.

4. The magnetic separator recited in claim 1 wherein said non-magnetic material of said matrix is resilient flexible material.

5. A magnetic separator comprising a chute having a curved inside surface adapted to carry non-magnetic material containing magnetic material to be separated therefrom, and a permanent magnet attached to the inside wall of said chute engaging said curved surface continuously over the entire extent of said curved surface, said permanent magnet made of flexible material impregnated with magnetic particles, said particles being generally uniformly distributed through said flexible material, said magnet being coextensive with said curved inside surface of said chute wall and bonded thereto.

6. The separator recited in claim 5 wherein said magnet has two spaced legs connected by an intermediate portion, said legs each being magnetized north at one lateral end and south at the other lateral end.

7. The separator recited in claim 5 wherein said magnot has a laterally disposed slot formed therein, a leg of said magnet being disposed on each side of said slot.

8. A magnetic pulley having an outside contoured surface, a cover of deformable non-magnetic material disposed around the periphery thereof and engaging said contoured surface continuously over the entire extent of said contoured surface, said non-magnetic material being impregnated with magnetic particles, said particles being generally uniformly distributed through said non-magnetic material and being so magnetized that incremental sections of said cover have like poles on one side thereof and unlike poles on the other side thereof and the polarity of each given incremental section at either side thereof is unlike the polarity of the section adjacent it.

9. A member having a curved surface having a cover of deformable non-magnetic material disposed along said curved surface and engaging said curved surface continuously over the entire extent of said curved surface, said non-magnetic material being impregnated with magnetic particles, said particles being generally uniformly distributed through said non-magnetic material and being so magnetized that incremental sections of said cover have like poles on one side thereof and unlike poles on the other side thereof and the polarity of each given incremental section at either side thereof is unlike the polarity of the section adjacent it.

1 0. A magnetic mem ber made of an elongated strip each said incremental section being of unlike polarity to of non-magnetic deformable material, said material havthe polarity on the opposite side of any given part thereof. ing permanent magnet material dispersed therein where- References Cited in the file of this patent by incremental sections of said member become permanent magnets, the magnetic particles of each said incremental 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS section having unlike poles toward the opposite ends of 189,046 King Apr. 3, 1877 each side thereof so that said incremental sections are, 1,056,318 Bruck Mar. 18, 19 3 in effect, magnets lying edge to edge with unlike poles 2,272,719 Maynard Feb. 10, 942 adjacent each other, said unlike poles being adjacent like 2,645,745 Moreton July 14', 1953 poles of the magnets adjacent thereto, the polarity of 10 2,849,312 Peterman Aug. 26, 1958 

